Introduction

The Polish cause has been the objectof much misrepresentation by partisans of the three great empires which wereinterested in suppressing inconvenient truths. In consequence, the generoussympathy which has been so long extended to the Poles is often based rather onsentiment than on a knowledge of the facts. It is not possible to form a justidea of the territorial and other rights of nationalities, without having aclear, if general, notion of their history and development. Those who have nothitherto had time or opportunity to study the story of the Polish nation willfind in this little volume a succinct exposition of the principal data, fromwhich they may draw their own conclusions.

The brief sketch of Polish historywhich we here submit to the attention of the public forms part of aconsiderable work of reference, the Polish Encyclopaedia, which we publish inFrench, and which is being translated into English. This survey has beenwritten specially for us by Dr. Ladislas Konopczynski, professor at theUniversity of Cracow. We owe the translation to the kindness of ProfessorFrancis Benett, of Fribourg, to whom we tender our grateful thanks.

Fribourg, (Switzerland)

The Committee for the Polish EncyclopaedicPublications.